The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-12-21

the true ends of life; he knew She true use OF
msnusii eTcysiIence His use of money was a power
10 make those dear to him happy-to feed, to
clothe to house and comfort hseas Sa TRen-a means
to educate the mind, TO cneer wv "ieetlons, ana
Il f'cs can be said Of him as truly i was said Of
Of highlands great phiiaasddrJRpotRe sad mother % many
merry Christmas and happy New sss hsaro ear
Heaven. Is II necessary, after an this has been
said. in so many ways and by peoRle q all shades
of opinion the Testimony from m oye s sources the
say that Joseph II. Bodwell was deeply religious
man? All these traits of character Constitute a
Christian i they % Do nq fes mans tse ves
not moi by what he says but BY his deeds.
"By their fruits ye shall know them.n.
And when we have said man IS honest, Just, and
living conscientously and faithful In all The rela-
tions of life, we have sac he WAS Truly religious
There are some of whom IL is thougnt,upon death,
forcible praise ito say they had no religion to
speak of,-meanng, suppose, lhat their religion
was too vital, TO real and deep "a pe spoken Of
of words but of life.
1t might with perfect Truth be said of our friend
but am not satisfied with kind OF expression
/ do NOT fear 10 saw of him he had religion 10
speak OF, though he rarely SAID y himself, never
by way of shedding any merit ~ nis own. Yet
he was firm believer and CONSTANT believer In
the work of our church and denomination, inter-
ested in our schools, on the board OF trustees of
Westbrook Seminary, liberal gsef ef Ia al OF our
osity to his own sect. He was ready ever to help
every good work, by whomsoeyer done. don't
think he cared much for theology or d0gmas Of
any kind; he never discussed with me questions
OF theology; his leiZure hours We're so few that
there never seemed 10 be tims' put his hand
seemed to go In the direction OF social humane
concerns. l also noticed that preaching drew
his warmest sympathieS, which represented the
kindly, tender, trusttu eheertu, race OF life and
whatever he rejected, his religion was his life,
and his life was his religion-a living eplstle
This being true nothing could add to it or take
from it. When / say he was religious man |
mean that he loved God and loved man. He had
no more doubt that God would save and bless him
and all men than that he, himself, would make all
men happy If he could. He reverenced the laws
of God morality, Justice, love; his religion was
Of cheerful countenance. His piety became moral
ity and good deal more than that.
He said the evening before he died that he was
'on the up grade" meaning the road TO health.
May we not give higher significance to the
words now? He has always been on the upgrade
and very steep upgrade t,Itl at that 4 AS boy
grade; as man of affairs, be was always work
Ing on the up grade to see how much better he
could do as citizen, neighb0r and friend.
His look and deeds were always upward; as
Chief Executive of the State he could keep things
moving on the up-grade as great-hearted. noble
gone on all his life climbing the heights Of moral
and spiritual attainment; and If, in his last
struggle for breath, 1t was an upgrade, 1t was
only because the air on the road was too heavy;
his soul needed the rare airs of Heaven as he left
his house on earth to ascend still higher grade.
And when that Great Friend OF us all said to him,
"Friend, come up higher" he was ready.
Have you ever known what II is to look into the
desolats night of sorrow and bereavement, and
see nothngS & And have you eried Sbnd oIt hin shall h
not nigh?' That is how the hungry, longing,
bereayed spirit, always feels, ! may see it, but
not now, in the far-off future and only when
GQ0,S anQPI
gathers away all to soon those that we love, and
takes them through the portal Of death. It Is
Him TO be Gods messenger. Death is the bell of
evening telling the oyer-tired laborer that it is
time to go home. o, If we could be wise enough
and have our eyes opened, to say shall see Him,
but not now; shall behold Him, but not nigh.
Then it would be light at even-tide.
All, well, the world is discreet; there are many
who pause and wait. But here was a man that
set his feet sometimes in advance OF Fate ever
ready to redress the wrong. worthy champion.
Shall he not hear the blessing, "Good and faith
full, enter IMP"
After another selection sung by the Quar-
tette, Rev. j. S. Gledhill of Gardiner, pro-
nounced the benediction, and the services
were concluded at half past twelve O'Clock
1t was an hour before the casket had been
borne from the Capitol and the procession
was ready to start. The procession was
formed in this order:
Platoon of Police.
Chief Marshal, Hon. Geo. d. Bisbee of Buckfeld.
Chief of Staff Col. II. NJ Sprague of
Aids-Samuel W; Lane, John v. Berry, Fred W.
Plaisted and Albert b. Nealey.
National Home Band.
Col. John j. Lynch and staff.
Provisional Battalion from First and Second Reg
ments Infantry, and First Maine Bat
tery, as escort
Pail Bearers.
HearSe.
Capital Guards as Guard Of Honor.
Carriages containing family and relatives, Gov
arb1 RanrncpufQffVQg other
States, Executive Councillors, Judiciary,
Brigadier General Mitchell and STAFF, State ON
GERS, Legislative Committee, United States Ohic-
ials, and resident Clergymen
Members and ex-members OF the Legislature,
Representatives OF City Governments, delega-
foot and In carriages.
Amid the firing of minute guns from the
Arsenal and from two guns placed on the
State House grounds, the procession moved
slowly away. The distance to the cemetery
is about mile. People thronged the roa J.
side along nearly the. entire way, and
watched with curious and s0rrOwful c0un-
tenances the long and glittering column OF
soldiers, the hearse drawn by four jet black
horses, and the long line of half hundred
carriages. When the van of the procession
reached the cemetery the rear had barely
left the State House.
Signal men were placed along the distance,
and when the soldiers had drawn up in line
and paid the proper respects. while the body
was lowered into the grave, they passed the
signal along and the guns in Augusta
doomed final salvo.
This was all. The troops and the mourn
ers then moved away
The grave is in a new lot in the northern
part of the cemetery. From it the Capitol is
in plain sight, and whatever monument shall
be erected over the grave will always be in
sight from the windows of the Council
Chamber. where tonight the chair and por-
trait of the dead Governor are .draped, and
where tomorrow his successor will admins
ter the affairs of State.